The Institute for Quality Communitieshttp://iqc.ou.edu
Tue, 24 Feb 2015 17:32:29 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.160 Years of Urban Change: Westhttp://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/10/60yrswest/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/10/60yrswest/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 19:14:35 +0000/?p=533460 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. The most rapid change occurred during the mid-century urban renewal period that cleared large tracts of urban land for new highways, parking, and public facilities or housing projects. Fine-grained networks of streets and buildings on small lots were replaced with superblocks and megastructures. While the period did make way for impressive new projects in many cities, many of the scars are still unhealed.

We put together these sliders to show how cities have changed over half a century. In this post, we look at Western cities.

How to Use

Please click and drag the slider to reveal the comparisons between before and after photos. They are not a static left/right comparison, but overlaid on top of each other. Thanks to Matt Skrajner for this gif.

Denver, 1953 to 2014

Denver largely avoided large highways within the downtown area, but this 1953 image of Denver shows the beginnings of construction on US-87, which wraps around downtown to the west. However, Denver has had plenty of growth and change since the urban renewal period. The area west of downtown is most transformed, now the site of a theme park, the Pepsi Center, and the University of Colorado-Denver. This area included the working-class Auraria neighborhood, which was destroyed in the 1970s and is now the site of the University of Colorado Denver campus.

Phoenix, 1953 to 2014

The city of Phoenix grew from only 106,000 residents in 1950 to 1.5 million residents today, and its modern downtown reflects that most of the city has been built after mid-century. Changes to Phoenix’s street grid reflect modernist planning and traffic engineering, with one-way couplets and superblocks. I-10 snakes across the north edge of this image, briefly disappearing under a freeway cap that is the home of 32-acre Hance Park.

San Diego, 1956 to 2014

Since the 1950s, downtown San Diego has grown significantly. The construction of Interstate 5 through San Diego separated downtown from Balboa Park (northeast corner of image) and tore through neighborhoods like Little Italy north of downtown. Some have suggested that parts of I-5 could be capped with parks to reconnect the neighborhoods that were destroyed. Today, historic buildings are still being lost in exchange for parking lots, but modern infill development is visible throughout downtown San Diego.

Seattle, 1969 to 2013

In this 1969 view of Seattle (north is oriented to the left), I-5 had only been open for two years. In the 1950s, residents of First Hill neighborhood protested the highway over fears of being cut off from the city and exposed to pollution, but the freeway was constructed anyway. Soon after the highway was finished, Freeway Park- the series of landscaped bridges that reconnect First Hill with downtown- was constructed. Project for Public Spaces recently helped revision the park.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/10/60yrswest/feed/0A Better Classen: Getting Startedhttp://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/06/classenkickoff/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/06/classenkickoff/#commentsFri, 06 Feb 2015 22:20:42 +0000/?p=5580On Wednesday, January 28, ULI Oklahoma hosted a public meeting to kick off a project to envision the future of Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Around 200 people attended the event, learning briefly about the project and the history of Classen Boulevard.

A key component of the meeting was a discussion period, when participants broke into groups and talked through a series of topics to identify the challenges and opportunities on Classen Boulevard. Many of the participants were residents and visitors who frequently experience the area around Classen. Concepts from this stakeholder meeting will inform our team’s work as we collaborate with ULI Oklahoma and the City of Oklahoma City to consider possible short-term and long-term improvements for Classen.

Here is a summary of what people shared with us at the meeting. Do you live in this area too? Leave your comments at the bottom of this page.

Destinations: What are (or would be, or should be) important destinations for neighborhood residents? Does Classen affect how people choose to access these destinations?

Accessibility to locations along and near Classen was perhaps the biggest concern to stakeholders at the public meeting. Safe and walkable access to destinations was a common priority. The most popular destinations are the Plaza District, a grocery store, Classen School of Advanced Studies, and parks. One participant discussed how difficult it is to move across Classen and felt that the elementary school crossing at 18th Street is unsafe. Classen is also reported to be a major barrier for cyclists. Along the corridor, participants identify an abundance of underutilized business lots that are envisioned as attractive retail and restaurant locations due to Classen’s traffic counts. Several respondents considered that office space vacancy could be a problem on the corridor.

“It is hard to move between destinations on the east and west side of Classen.”

Popular destinations include the Plaza District, residential neighborhoods, parks, and businesses along Classen.

Drive: How does Classen perform for drivers hoping to get somewhere? Consider the different perspectives of neighborhood residents and commuters.

Participants feel that Classen performs well for traffic, but not so well for pedestrians. Classen is such a preferred route for commuters that cyclists from the area reported trying to avoid it when possible. Some participants noted that the street can be confusing in some areas if a driver is not used to how the road curves and changes in configuration, particularly around the 13th Street intersection. Participants have noticed that it is difficult to cross east-to-west across Classen due to the traffic signals prioritizing north-to-south movement. There is a divide between residents and outside commuters over Classen’s intensity of use. Some feel that traffic calming measures, including the widening of the adjacent sidewalks should be taken to slow and discourage traffic while other feel that Classen currently functions as it should.

“Classen functions well for north-to-south travel, but is difficult to cross east-to-west.”

Bike/Walk/Transit: How does Classen perform for cyclists, pedestrians, or transit riders hoping to get somewhere? What are your ideas to improve Classen for these users?

Participants agree that Classen is not hospitable to cyclists. A major reason pedestrians and cyclists are hesitant to use Classen is a lack of lighting and sidewalk connections (sidewalks come to a sudden end in several instances along Classen). Protected bikes lanes were suggested several times by meeting participants. There is a desire for more frequent safe crossings of Classen, especially at 16th Street. Several other pedestrian and cyclists protection measures were suggested, including the addition of a median, longer stoplights, and greater space between automobile lanes and pedestrian lanes.

“There is very limited opportunity to cross the street.”

“The perfect Classen: Protected bike lanes on each side, wider sidewalks, two narrow lanes of traffic in each direction, streetcar down the center.”

Sense of Place: How does Classen perform as a place (a large public space worth visiting) within the community(s) that surround it? Which parts perform particularly poorly or well?

Overall, the participants felt Classen lacks a coherent identity as a place. Participants identified the strongest destination in Asian District between NW 23rd and NW 30th. There were several individual destinations like Café Antigua and other restaurants participants enjoyed visiting, but no coherent identify for the corridor. The Classen School of Advanced Studies was another notable area along Classen with a sense of place. One participant described the look and feel of Classen as a “time capsule.” It was also suggested that the longer stretches of Classen could use some “relief” in the form of businesses or restaurants.

The Asian District has a better sense of place along Classen.

There are great businesses on Classen, but traffic moves quickly and sidewalk/bike infrastructure is poor, so there is no incentive for businesses to have an outdoor presence.

Safety: Does Classen feel like a safe place to you? What would need to be improved for you to feel safe? What are the important locations for safety improvements and what would an improvement look like in each of those locations?

There are currently several factors contributing to feelings of danger along Classen including dilapidated storefronts, a lack of proper signage, poor lighting, the low overall amount of traffic lights, and traffic speed. A more consistent and maintained sidewalk could enhance citizens’ feelings of safety along Classen. Residents of the area are interested in implementing traffic calming measures to discourage commuters using Classen as a thoroughfare. One participant raised the issue of Classen’s degree of “permeability” for bikers and pedestrians attempting to cross. It also seems that participants feel that there could be an enhanced police presence and monitoring of Classen.

Classen can feel unsafe for people in cars, on bikes, or walking. Better lighting, crosswalks, and intersection improvements are needed.

What is the meaning of “A Better Classen” to you?

Many meeting participants categorized “A Better Classen” as a Classen with a more harmonious existence between drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Streetscaping (along with other aesthetic improvements like increased vegetation) and traffic calming were suggested to help encourage this. Participants noted several obstacles (too many vacant offices or parking lots) that prevent Classen from reaching its full potential. Participants felt that Classen could be viewed as more than simply a thoroughfare. For example, one participant described their vision for Classen to become “A Grand Boulevard.”

“A boulevard with buildings and shops fronting it with sidewalks and parking, providing connections to other districts in the area. More than a corridor for moving vehicles.”

“A place where we feel safe to walk with our families. A safer, friendly, more interesting place to be.”

“More livable space included without jeopardizing traffic flow as Classen becomes a more widely-used thoroughfare.”

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/02/06/classenkickoff/feed/0Biking, Walking, and Transit Use Across the US (2013)http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/27/modeshare2013/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/27/modeshare2013/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 21:54:08 +0000/?p=5409The latest data about how Americans get to work is now available. The 2013 American Community Survey estimates by the US Census Bureau were released last fall. This is the latest source of information about trends in how Americans are getting to work. Note that this data only considers commutes to work, not other routine trips such as school, recreation, or entertainment.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa continue to rank near the bottom of cities when it comes to commuting by bike, walking, or transit- But both regions are realizing the importance of focusing on these options in the future. This week, Embark transit service of Oklahoma City launched evening bus service until midnight on two routes for the first time since 1979. Previously, Oklahoma City was the largest city in the country without evening bus service.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/27/modeshare2013/feed/060 Years of Urban Change: Northeasthttp://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 21:51:09 +0000/?p=529160 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. The most rapid change occurred during the mid-century urban renewal period that cleared large tracts of urban land for new highways, parking, and public facilities or housing projects. Fine-grained networks of streets and buildings on small lots were replaced with superblocks and megastructures. While the period did make way for impressive new projects in many cities, many of the scars are still unhealed.

We put together these sliders to show how cities have changed over half a century. In this post, we look at the historic cities of the Northeast. Expect New York City and Washington, DC in a future post.

How to Use

Please click and drag the slider to reveal the comparisons between before and after photos. They are not a static left/right comparison, but overlaid on top of each other. Thanks to Matt Skrajner for this gif demonstrating the slider.

Boston, 1938 to 2013

Dating from 1938, this Boston aerial image is one of the oldest available dates. Boston’s most dramatic urban renewal story is probably the clearance of the West End neighborhood, in the top center of the photos. Only a handful of landmarks were preserved in this area, which was a Jewish and Irish working class area. According to the West End Museum, a third of old Boston was lost to urban renewal. In contrast, the North End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods are wonderfully preserved historic districts.

Philadelphia, 1965 to 2014

I-95, along the Delaware River east of Center City Philadelphia, is one major change visible here, along with highway interchanges and connections into the city. The Pennsylvania Convention Center also takes up several square blocks. Additionally, near the center of the photo, a large enclosed mall replaced several blocks as the city attempted to compete with the suburbs. Much of Philadelphia’s architectural change can be attributed to architect Vincent Kling and planning commissioner Edmund Bacon.

Pittsburgh, 1952 to 2014

Pittsburgh is another city with a shocking urban renewal history, particularly in the areas east of downtown, the Lower Hill District and Hill District. Thousands of structures were destroyed for facilities like Civic Arena, which has now been destroyed and slated for redevelopment. The Hill District was a prosperous African American neighborhood that descended into crime and poverty during the urban renewal period and was further destroyed by riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Buffalo, 1963 to 2014

The 1963 aerial of Buffalo (note that the images are rotated from true north to show more of the downtown area) shows the city’s dramatic elevated “Skyway” already in place. Much of Buffalo’s urban renewal transformation took place in the 1950s, before this image was captured. However, additional changes to the street grid occurred, such as the severing of Genessee Street, one of the radial axes from Niagara Square all the way to the outskirts of the region.

Rochester, 1951 to 2014

In Rochester, the Inner Loop Highway was constructed in the early 1950s, forming a complete loop around the center of the city. The eastern portion of the loop carries as few as 10,000 vehicles per day. A proposal to replace this section with an urban boulevard is now underway.

Syracuse, 1956 to 2011

From the air, the oval surrounding the historic Syracuse Armory and several historic squares have remained a part of Syracuse’s urban fabric even as many commercial and residential blocks gave way to surface parking. I-81 and I-690 were constructed as elevated highways through downtown Syracuse, meeting in an expansive elevated interchange. The I-81 corridor is being evaluated for the potential to replace the highway with a surface boulevard.

Albany, 1952 to 2013

Several massive-scale transformations are visible in Albany, most significantly the brutalist state government complex Empire State Plaza, or South Mall, constructed in the 1960s and 70s. Along with I-787 and the South Mall Arterial access road, this development replaced huge portions of Albany’s urban core. A new documentary film tells the story of this clearance project that displaced 3,500 families. Watch the trailer here.

Providence, 1955 to 2013

The 1955 image of Downcity Providence (rotated from true north to fit greater area) shows the city as it was before the construction of I-95 along the west edge of downtown. The highway and other urban renewal projects in the late 1950s and 60s took out hundreds of homes and businesses, and many business owners never recovered from relocation in Providence. Additional large-scale clearance is visible south of the downtown (lower left of images), where a medical campus and associated parking has spread into the neighborhood.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast/feed/1860 Years of Urban Change: Southeasthttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/60yrssoutheast/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/60yrssoutheast/#commentsThu, 18 Dec 2014 17:43:46 +0000/?p=521260 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. The most rapid change occurred during the mid-century urban renewal period that cleared large tracts of urban land for new highways, parking, and public facilities or housing projects. Fine-grained networks of streets and buildings on small lots were replaced with superblocks and megastructures. While the period did make way for impressive new projects in many cities, many of the scars are still unhealed.

We put together these sliders to show how cities have changed over half a century. In this post, we look at Southeastern cities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

How to Use

Please click and drag the slider to reveal the comparisons between before and after photos. They are not a static left/right comparison, but overlaid on top of each other. Thanks to Matt Skrajner for this gif.

South Beach, 1961 to 2014

Starting this post with a contrast to the incredible urban renewal clearance seen in almost all American downtowns we’ve looked at so far. Here’s an example where historic preservation has kept the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach remarkably intact, thanks to activists who at times literally chained themselves to Art Deco hotels in danger of demolition.

Atlanta, 1952 to 2013

Major highways and interchanges are a dominant feature of Atlanta’s changed landscape. Northwest of downtown, a major change is the large civic complex including the Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center, and Centennial Olympic Olympic Park. Very little of Atlanta has remained unchanged by the city’s growth.

Raleigh, 1965 to 2014

Highway construction had little to no impact on the street grid of downtown Raleigh. US 70, the major highway running through the downtown, splits into a couplet of one-way streets in the area, similar to Peter Calthorpe’s Urban Network concept that has been employed in some new urbanist projects. Modern buildings have grown in Raleigh, but Fayetteville Street, running on the axis of the State Capitol, is still clearly visible as heart of the city.

Birmingham, 1947 to 2013

Birmingham saved a large portion of its central city, including theater and retail districts, from urban renewal. Today, revitalization efforts are ongoing to bring life into the historic districts. The railroad that has run through the center of downtown has become a focal point with the construction of Railroad Park and a new baseball stadium.

New Orleans, 1964 to 2014

New Orleans is known for its well-preserved downtown and French Quarter, where preservation efforts began as early as the 1920s. However, New Orleans faced plenty of the same urban renewal battles in the 1960s. A plan to construct an expressway along the riverfront (planned by Robert Moses himself), which would have placed an elevated highway between Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, was defeated by historic preservationists in 1969.

Memphis, 1963 to 2014

The images of central Memphis show how the city’s building stock thinned over 50 years. Today, the most popular destination in Memphis is Beale Street, shown in this image near the lower left, north of the FedEx Forum. However, the slider shows how much of this district was lost to urban renewal prior to national recognition of the area as a place of national cultural importance for its music history.

Nashville, 1951 to 2014

Large swaths of Nashville neighborhoods were destroyed by the Capitol Hill urban renewal plan and the construction of I-65, replaced with housing projects that isolated impoverished residents. Nashville’s urban renewal history is documented in this article. Modern changes are striking in Nashville too, such as the green roof on the large new convention center constructed on land that was previously cleared as surface parking.

Jacksonville, 1963 to 2014

Jacksonville experienced significant urban renewal losses in the downtown area shown in these sliders. The western portion, known as La Villa (profiled recently by MetroJacksonville), was especially hard hit and remains mostly vacant. Some of the worst stories come from the Sugar Hill neighborhood, where 75% of the neighborhood’s prominent, successful African American residents were relocated.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/60yrssoutheast/feed/1The Elk City Boom: Diversifying an Economyhttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/elkcity4/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/elkcity4/#commentsThu, 18 Dec 2014 13:30:19 +0000/?p=5130This is a four-part series released Monday, December 15 through Thursday, December 18.

Innovative solutions often come from out of the box ideas. As mentioned in the previous post, Elk City has utilized its sudden economic surplus to, in part, solidify its municipal core. However, in looking to fully capitalize on their current boom and protect itself from a potential repeat of the 80’s oil bust, the city is also exploring a myriad of options to diversify its economic profile. Some of the elements of their plan is more conventional, in the short term. Other parts, looking to build for generations, are more audacious.

The most immediate of their plans is for the city to amplify the retail presence. Jim Mason, the city’s Economic and Community Developer, looks to make Elk City the “shopping center for western Oklahoma.” Many in the area already make shopping trips to Elk City, but Mason suggests they do this only by default, as the city hosts a handful of national chains otherwise scarce in the region. However, Mason’s goal is to encourage people come and shop in Elk City “on purpose,” or as a choice destination. One attempt to do so is reflected in their downtown renovation efforts,which currently has an occupancy rate over 90%. Additionally, they look to utilize their recent press about the city’s rapid growth to lure in other major chains. The city has also created its own micro-loan program that caters to small businesses entrepreneurs seeking start-up funding.

Along with efforts to strengthen retail, Mason explained that the city also looks to bring in more sporting tournaments and other large events. In fact, the city is close to putting forward a proposal that would increase its local hotel tax in order to build a new convention center.

That is not all. About 18 miles from Elk City sits the Oklahoma Spaceport. Mason believes this can be a game changer for the city, especially in for the research and development of UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).Mason would like to develop a UAV research center, with a primary focus on precision agriculture.

Source: indonesiatechnologies.com

Lastly, Mason described his efforts to create more leaders in the community, which he felt city lacked. Having served in similar leadership programs in Cushing, Chickasha, and Stillwater, Mason was well equipted to help start ‘Leadership Elk City’, in association with ‘Leadership Oklahoma.’ Mason explained, “We wanted to give [members] leadership skills, and teach them how to use those effectively to get things accomplished in the community.” Leadership Elk City serves all ages, and graduated its first class in November 2014.

Over the past few years, with the quick growth brought upon by the rapid ascension of local energy production, Elk City has been forced to reengineer itself as a community. With the city experiencing growing pains from the booming industry, civic leaders sought out measures to provide for the urgent needs of the community. They invested in housing, public services, and infrastructure. Ever mindful of the city’s boom and bust past, the city sought to strengthen its municipal core and diversify its economy. Many improvements have been made and much has been accomplished, but the story of Elk City’s boom is still being written.

With no foreseeable end in sight for local energy production, the growth and growing pains will continue. The 2.5% unemployment level is expected to remain low and the pressing shortage of service sector labor is not waning. Even in the face of these pressing issues, Elk City’s leadership remains vigilant. They seek to be resilient in the face of whatever may come next.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/18/elkcity4/feed/0The Elk City Boom: Moving Forwardhttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/17/elkcity3/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/17/elkcity3/#commentsWed, 17 Dec 2014 13:30:12 +0000/?p=5125This is a four-part series released Monday, December 15 through Thursday, December 18.

Parker Drilling Rig #114 located near downtown Elk City, is a towering relic of the city’s rich oil history. (fans.righands.com)

Sharing many similarities with the current bustling economy (see post 2), Elk City also experienced a major oil-driven growth spurt in the 1970’s. Like many cities in Oklahoma, they also experienced the swift economic downturn signaled by the failure of Penn Square Bank in 1982. The repercussions were severe, as many of the businesses that did not collapse left town, along with much of their personnel. The city became plagued by prolonged housing vacancies, shuttered businesses, and half-finished developments.

The repercussions of the mid-80’s downturn were felt for decades in Elk City.

“It was different this time,” said city Councilman Basil Weatherly. In the past, “we saw a lot of guys out here with diamonds, gold chains around their necks. This time there were three-piece suits, no wild boasts, no razzle-dazzle and hype.”

The wildcatters are missing, [Bob] Fleshman said. This go-round the lower-risk theme is “increased density.” Royalty leases are selling at $100 to $200 acre, he said. “At the height of the boom, it was $4,500 an acre.”

Fortunately for present-day Elk City, the community still remembers the mid-80’s downturn of the local energy economy. So now, with the city having pieced together most of what was lost in the early 80’s and flourishing yet again, members of the community remain vigilant of the lessons learned and having no intention to let those missteps happen again.

Now with industry rising yet again, having a freshly bitter taste of the worst-of-times still in their palate, the community is motivated to use this period of great surplus to firmly establish itself as a regional leader. The tricky part for a city, even with full coffers, is creating an economic niche that truly stands out.

I introduced you a bit to Jim Mason, the current Elk City and Economic Developer in Part 2 of this series. Joining the city government leadership in 2012, he was largely tasked to create that unique economic niche for the city. This, understandably, is quite the abstract task. Mason actually does not have a background in either community or economic development. He was formerly head of the state institute for nanotechnology. Elk City’s leadership was craving more out-of-the-box solutions to enhance their city’s growth going forward, and they considered Mason the person to bring that.

Elk City’s capacity to invest in out of the box solutions is significant. Over the past 8 years, the Elk City’s sales tax receipts have increased by over $567 thousand per year, or 45% (Figure below). That is a tremendous figure for the city of 23,000. The financial surge caused by this recent energy rush has allowed the city to solidify many core community needs, municipal investments that are expected to pay dividends for decades to come.

Core Improvements

Below is a quick overview of a few improvements made over this growth period as shared by Mason:

New hospital

Repaved every road and alleyway city-wide

$6M water treatment facility (under construction)

Acquired 200 acres of additional water rights

Comprehensive maintenance on all water towers

Will have 9 million gallons of water on reserve every day

Buried all overhead power lines on Main Street

Replaced all street trees

Will create first ‘Redbud Festival’ in the spring

New city park

Including significant improvements to current parks

Addition of a Visitor’s Center (planned) and renovations to the Route 66 Museum

Additionally, a 9-year-old dedicated penny sales tax has also reaped a windfall. The tax, meant to fund an indoor sporting and performance arts center, long ago surpassed its initial goal, to cover the construction costs for the facility. Now all excesses produced by the tax have to go to civic improvements . One use of the funds was the housing subsidy program mentioned in the previous blog post. Recently, the city used the penny sales tax funds to acquire railroad-adjacent land where they plan to build an industrial park. There are plans for a referendum to continue the tax and fund a new elementary school.

All of the core investments Elk City is making are accommodating oil-driven growth, growth that may someday end. Granted, with more advanced energy extraction methods available presently, cities proximate to the Anadarko Basin should have many more years of productivity. U.S Geological Survey estimates project that the basin holds some 27.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 410 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and over 490 million barrels of oil. Even so, Elk City is fearful that it will build out the core infrastructure for a city of 23,000 only to face another energy bust. Last time around, even with the great municipal improvements made in the 70’s and 80’s, the city still fell victim to the sudden downturn.

This time around, Elk City hopes to sustain its economic resurgence even in the face of a potential energy bust. According to Mason, Elk City is looking to establish a “differentiated economy.” In the final installment, I will share Mason’s ambitious plans for Elk City to achieve economic strength outside of the oil economy.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/17/elkcity3/feed/0The Elk City Boom: Current Growth Challengeshttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/16/elkcity2/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/16/elkcity2/#commentsTue, 16 Dec 2014 13:30:38 +0000/?p=5123This is a four-part series released Monday, December 15 through Thursday, December 18.

Elk City, the self-proclaimed “Natural Gas Capital of the World”, is located on the shelf of the Anadarko Basin, which has vast reserves of both oil and natural gas. Along with other Western Oklahoman cities proximate to rich fuel pockets, such as Weatherford and Woodward, Elk City has seen dramatic growth in the past few years.

In 2012, the US Census ranked Elk City as the 6th-fastest growing micropolitan area (city of less than 50,000) in the country. Moreover, in 2010, at the start of the energy boom, the US Census estimated the population of the city to be 12,000 residents. Two years later, census estimates indicated that the city almost doubled in size to around 23,000 residents.

Facing the effects of rapid growth can be daunting for municipalities to manage. The dilemma many of these modern booming towns experience is keeping up with the concurrent health and safety demands of its growing citizenship. In Elk City, many of these welfare provisions needed to be addressed.

I sat down with Jim Mason, the Community and Economic Developer for the city of Elk City to discuss the community’s efforts to respond to the rapid growth. In our conversations, he referred to two sets of overarching priorities the city is currently facing: those that are immediately urgent and those that will prepare the city for lasting growth (I will discuss the latter in the fourth installment of this series).

Housing Shortage

The recent energy boom left the city with an immediate need to resolve the massive shortage in housing for the new workers. The demand was so high that it was far beyond the capabilities of local developers and builders to keep up with the urgent need. Also, given the area’s history of boom and bust, developers were initially hesitant to ramp up housing production. To stimulate building, Mason explained that the city created subsidies for builders that produced housing. Their goal, based on a 2012 city housing study, was to produce 105 new houses and 45 rental properties.

Mason reported that the subsidized development finished this past May. At the time, 104 houses were completed. With the rolling momentum, the city is now calling on developers to construct an additional 74 unsubsidized houses. The city viewed the initial subsidies as a driver to get more private development going and is now reaping the rewards. Mason explained, “We hoped for them to get things going on their own.”

Current Housing Market

The new houses and rental properties that have come online within the past year have already made a significant impact on the local real estate market. Mason happily reports that modular homes brought in by the city are “long gone.” The modular, temporary shelters had garnered negative publicity for Elk City. The newest unsubsidized supply has to the strong demand for housing, demand reflected in a sharp rise in local prices (See Figure below).

Employment

With the housing situation seemingly steadying for the moment, Mason proclaims, “My issue now is that I’ve got 2.5% unemployment!” With the national unemployment rate hovering around 5.8% and the state of Oklahoma at a comfortable 4.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics), Elk City’s dramatic shortage of workers makes it unique. Mason mentioned that in Elk City want ads outnumber those of garage sales 10:1. Most notably, some national retail chains have resorted to increasing their wages and now bus employees to and from Oklahoma City (one hour and a half away), just to fill their employment demands.

The biggest disruption from this workforce shortage in Elk City has been related to entry-level jobs. With prominent energy companies investing in the area, looking for workers by the dozen, and offering lucrative wages, it has been burdensome for municipalities and service industry firms to retain their workers at reasonable pay. Mason suggested that many businesses have depended on high school workers to fill their needs. He added that many local restaurants recently had to adjust their operating hours to fit their high school workers’ schedules. Mason explained that a few businesses have had to totally close down because of this labor shortage.

Even with great amount of wealth being accumulated in Elk City, gaping holes in the service industry are quite existent. Mason mentioned that the remaining local pizza establishment now does three times the business of any similar pizza restaurant in the state. However, according to Mason, the city is attracting more and more interest from companies looking to take advantage of the area’s blatant shortage.

Times are currently ripe in Elk City as the economy is booming. However, even in this period of rapid growth, the city has tried to learn lessons from its tumultuous past and remain conscious of its future. In the next installment, I will discuss the lessons the city learned a generation ago from the 1980’s oil bust.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/16/elkcity2/feed/0The Elk City Boom: Oil and Gas Boomtownshttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/15/elkcity1/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/15/elkcity1/#commentsMon, 15 Dec 2014 13:30:28 +0000/?p=5121This is a four-part series released Monday, December 15 through Thursday, December 18.

The story of “boom towns” in Oklahoma is not a new one. Given the state’s great abundance of natural energy resources, many cities across the state can tie their economic ascension to the business of the extraction of local oil or natural gas deposits. The last era of explosive rural growth from fast oil money peaked decades ago (see figure below). Oil production plummeted throughout the ‘90s and early 2000’s. However, that trend has changed since 2010, largely because of the advent of new technologies that allow the extractors to reach energy deposits at much greater depths and distances.

With the new extraction capabilities and high demand for domestic fuels, energy companies are thriving. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the state is averaging over 10 million barrels of petroleum a month for the first time since 1988. In recent years, many communities in Western Oklahoma have reaped the benefits of the reemergence of the local energy industry, especially Elk City.

With the boom in the production of oil and gas, Elk City’s population and economy have begun to flourish. Companies are hiring. Workers, in pursuit of higher wages and steady employment, are flooding into the area. The U.S. Census suggests that Elk City nearly doubled in population between 2010 and 2012.

With this quick growth comes many domestic issues. Among the complications of explosive growth in a small town like Elk City, the foremost is creating enough housing to shelter the heavy influx of workers. For smaller booming cities like Elk City, the housing stock is limited. This contributes to the inflation of property values and rental prices. Several private entities have responded by erecting temporary housing units on the edge of town.

Additionally, with the fast growth, the city had to respond to the increased demand for municipal services. For example, there is significantly higher demand for public education from the families of workers settling in.

Similarly, this trend is most notorious currently in cities residing in the oil-rich regions of the Bakken formation, primarily in North Dakota. With their booms predating that of Elk City, facing similar housing shortages, the small booming cities have seen their rental pricings skyrocket far beyond conventional terms. In one example, in Williston, ND, Time Magazine Online reports that the average rent for a 700-square-foot, one bedroom apartment in the city costs an estimated $2,394 a month; far surpassing averages in major markets like New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.

Further, because growing energy companies have offered a steady stream of higher paying jobs, both public sector entities and private businesses face job vacancies as their employees decamp for the better financial opportunities.

In a city like Elk City, the boom has created issues across virtually the entire community. Under these special circumstances, civic leaders have searched for innovative methods to stabilize aspects of the economy that have been affected by the energy economy. City leaders have sought to address the immediate, urgent needs like housing and basic infrastructure.

However, having been through the highs and lows of a similar oil boom and bust a generation ago, the city approached solutions with a conservative eye. They have invested in core infrastructure and other improvements that will benefit the future population, whether it continues to grow or contracts in the future.

They are also looking to capitalize in the moment to build for a future that may look very different. They have invested in a space port and other innovative ideas to help diversify their economy and position themselves competitively.

In only a few years, Elk City has reengineered itself as a community. The city is looking toward a bright future with a keen eye on its boom and bust history. Over the next week, I will share Elk City’s unique story—a community looking for answers amid intense growth.

]]>http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/15/elkcity1/feed/060 Years of Urban Change: Midwesthttp://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/12/60yrsmidwest/
http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/12/60yrsmidwest/#commentsFri, 12 Dec 2014 20:17:29 +0000/?p=492960 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. The most rapid change occurred during the mid-century urban renewal period that cleared large tracts of urban land for new highways, parking, and public facilities or housing projects. Fine-grained networks of streets and buildings on small lots were replaced with superblocks and megastructures. While the period did make way for impressive new projects in many cities, many of the scars are still unhealed.

We put together these sliders to show how cities have changed over half a century. In this post, we look at Midwestern cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.

How to Use

Please click and drag the slider to reveal the comparisons between before and after photos. They are not a static left/right comparison, but overlaid on top of each other. Thanks to Matt Skrajner for this gif.

Cincinnati, 1955 to 2013

The images of Cincinnati show incredible destruction of dense urban neighborhoods to the west and south of downtown caused by the construction of interstate highways. The riverfront area was cut off from the downtown by a section of I-71 known as Fort Washington Way, but redevelopment has followed successful planning efforts there. In the future, the freeway could be capped to provide better connections to downtown.

Detroit, 1951 to 2010

Much of Detroit is unrecognizable between the 1951 and 2010 aerial views. The iconic radial corridors extending from Campus Martius- Woodward, Gratiot, and Michigan, are among the few things that have stayed the same. In 1951, you can see vast swaths of the city beginning to be cleared for highway spurs and large-scale redevelopments. By 2010, downtown is encircled by highways. A noticeable positive change is the transformation of a confusing intersection at the heart of Detroit into Campus Martius Park, which opened in 2004.

St. Louis, 1952 to 2013

In the 1952 St. Louis aerial, the clearance site for the Gateway Arch and surrouning grounds is clearly visibile on the riverfront. Toward the northeast, another large clearance site will be the location of Pruitt-Igoe, the notorious failed public housing development. In the modern aerial, the striking number of vacant lots in north St. Louis is apparent.

Kansas City, 1955 to 2014

Minneapolis, 1953 to 2014

Downtown Minneapolis was also encircled by interstate highways at the expense of dense urban neighborhoods. Downtown East has become the home of an NFL stadium and a significant development called The Yard is planned there.

Milwaukee, 1955 to 2014

Milwaukee sees significant demolition throughout the downtown. However, some efforts have been made to restore the old street patterns. Along the top of the image, the site of the Park East Freeway removal and boulevard replacement has returned land for possible development.

Indianapolis, 1958 to 2014

In Indianapolis, large surface parking lots and institutional uses have replaced many blocks of neighborhoods, and the city’s successful sports and convention area has grown up in the south.

Cleveland, 1952 to 2014

Cleveland’s iconic Public Square has remained since the city’s original plan and The Mall, part of an early 1900s Daniel Burnham plan, continues as an important civic center. Despite losing several blocks of urban fabric, the Warehouse District has evolved into a successful mixed-use area, and the well-preserved area around East Fourth has also become an important district for Cleveland dining and entertainment.

Columbus, 1953 to 2014

Central Columbus is now dotted with surface parking lots and surrounded by freeways. However, the fact that some of the highways are constructed in trenches has allowed interesting solutions like the Cap at Union Station to repair connections to neighborhoods.